Robots Do Not Read Resumes

You may have heard that it’s important to format your resume carefully so the “robots” can read it. Surely, robots do not read resumes! No, of course not. Why get a robot to do what a computer program can process in seconds? This software is called Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS, and this software is used by the majority of hiring influencers today.

When a hiring influencer such as a recruiter or HR manager receives a resume, it is scanned or uploaded into the ATS and is evaluated by a parsing program. This is a program that analyzes every keystroke and breaks down your resume into common strings of characters (words like University or skills such as Forensic Accounting) to allow comparisons. The parsing program batches up the strings of characters under labels such as Education or Skills. These batches allow easy searches for key words and phrases important to the hiring influencer. The hiring influencer measures the number of key words and phrases they are looking for against every resume, then assigns a score. A resume which earns a high score, matches the job description and requirements very closely, and creates interest in that candidate.

This is why it’s very important to format your resume to be easily and completely read by ATS. If the parsing program can’t pick out the key words in your resume, it will find fewer matches with the job requirements, and your resume scores lower.

You can increase your resume score by simply ensuring the terms and skills used in the job description appear in your resume, but there are other ways to increase your score and “catch the eye” of the ATS. This is where hiring a Professional Resume Writer or Career Coach can give you a huge advantage.

I’m happy to offer a free resume critique, to help you evaluate if your resume is ATS-ready. Because although robots do not read resumes, ATS software does, and a resume written with that in mind generates greater interest in you!